Skate Canada 2012 Ladies - Short Program

[drivingmissdaisy]

Zhang was ok, I guess...more subdued, not a huge fan of the program.

I was hoping to see Zhang improve more from the end of last year. She is going to have a real problem getting on the podium at nationals if she skates that well and can only manage a half point better than Gracie with 2 major errors.

 

[seniorita]

LADIES SHORT PROGRAM - VIDEOS & RESULT

Thank you a lot for the videos.

 

[draqq]

I'm surprised at the criticism at Osmund given the quality of her skate. Her component scores were in the mid-to-high 6s which is just about right for her transitions and interpretation of the music. Also, she has earned some repute after winning the Nebelhorn Trophy earlier this year, so the judges know what she is capable of.

As for Elene, I'm so glad that she skated the way she did. She's had so many frustrating skates over the last few years, but she skated fast and agile to a song that is by contrast slow and sorrowful. I'm not sure if she deserved a Level 4 on her step sequence but it was a strong performance.

Caroline Zhang's trouble has always been her basic skating skills. I believe she's spent a good deal of time reworking her loop and flip technique, both necessary for the consistency of her jumps, but her most pressing issue is her lack of speed and agility. She performs more crossover than her competitors and she just doesn't turn as quickly, so the judges have a poor perception of her skating skills and transitions.

 

[MasterB]

This competition is still up for grabs. Love it when the skaters are that close.

Congrats to Elene, what a fantastic short and Osmond has fire like no one else.

 

[Blades of Passion]

When will these ridiculous < calls on Kanako's 3T-3T stop?!?! It is NOT justified. Those jumps have the rotation and she has been more consistent on that combination than any other woman in the World. The << call on her Triple Flip here was not correct either, that jump was only < .

Zhang sadly hasn't stepped it up at all, after her good showings at Nationals and 4CC last year. Maybe she is just having a slow start to the season again, but it's not looking promising.

 

[R.D.]

Zhang tends to peak later in the season. She was not spectacular early last season, either. Part of the reason her showing at Nationals was such a surprise to so many.

 

[coolboogie22]

Why most people in this forum think that Kaetlyn Osmond don't deserve the second place and her score ? To me, Kaetlyn skate a fantastic program with great choreography and great quality of element and she deserved this score. Why it should be always the same skater who should win ?

I believe that figure skating is going for the first times in the good way. And, this will help to makes the sport more appreciate and more popular.

Today, a skater who skate bad will necessary have a bad score, like example : Patrick Chan in Japan Open 2012, and a skater who skated to her potential even if this skater is new to the judge can win a competition, like example : Christina Gao in skate america 2012.

So, everyone should accept that Kaetlyn Osmond yes is new but she is truly a skater who can challenge the best skater in the worlds. Congratulation Kaetlyn, you deserve this second place!!!

 

[Art&Sport]

Zhang had both easier jump content and had other problems that have been pointed out in this thread, such as lack of speed. Osmond has made visible improvements since last year, and some of the other skaters didn't perform up to their potential. What precisely was "mediocre" about Osmond's skating? That was a strong all-around performance.

Really, Canada has a strong reputation in the sport, but so do Japan, Russia and the United States. The only competitor who isn't from a powerhouse country in this sport is the current leader! How can you look at that and claim the the scoring was based on country reputation?

After viewing the performances, I really don't have much to quibble about re the placements. I thought Zhang might have been in front of Lacoste, but I could understand arguments as to why she isn't, plus the scores are so close. Gracie would have likely placed around 4th or 5th had she skated cleanly. Even had Gracie not made the second jump mistake, she could have landed ahead of Zhang and Lacoste at least even with having only the first error on her 3/3 combo. I can see why Gracie was disappointed in the kiss 'n cry, but she needs to get over it fast and just be determined to come out strong, determined and patient in the fp. Surely it was nerves that tripped Gracie up -- that forced grin she had before starting her program revealed nervousness. It will be a good experience for her.

There is always politics and skaters' reps involved in the scoring but the extent to which those factors play a role is hard to prove. What the skaters actually do on the ice is likely the most important factor. As far as Elene G, I think she deserved to be scored even higher. It's great to see her with beautiful music, costume, and great confidence as well as deep emotion and expressiveness. She's a natural re presentation skills, but now she's putting it all together. Bellisima! It's fair to point out though, so what that Elene isn't from a powerhouse country, she has a powerhouse coach who is Canadian to boot. Ha ha, there's no doubt Elene G deserves to be in first place with that program!

Osmond is a wonderfully refreshing spitfire. She skates with great confidence which is soooo good to see in a young skater. The judges love to see skaters skate clean programs with confidence and panache, and that's exactly what Osmond delivered in her performance. I'm not that enamored of this style of program/ music/ costume, but Osmond really made it work for her and she was able to maintain audience interest throughout because it was obvious she believed in her program and was having a blast. She needs to develop maturity and that will come. Right now she seems to be on track, right place, right time. I wish her well and pray for her no over-hype nor over-pressuring from fans and Canadian fed.

I feel for Ksenia. I thought she skated beautifully last season but was not given a great deal of credit. She was upset about the one mistake she had in her sp here, but I loved her program. I hope she continues to push hard to work on her weak areas, and keep going in the lovely direction she's going with her skating. The difference for me re Ksenia and Elene G is that they both have absolutely gorgeous positions on the ice and they feel and interpret the music well. Although Liza T has great jumps and also has gorgeous positions, she needs to mature a great deal more, as does Sotnikova and Shelepen. I think the sp costume for Polina was awful and obscures her natural beauty. I don't get all the obsessive adoration of the Russian baby ballerinas. They need a chance to grow up and develop more maturity and competitive experience without all these exalted expectations on their shoulders.

I was not fond of Kanako when she first came on the scene, but she improved last year with a bit more maturity and attention to some technical weaknesses. She can be lovely, but I don't find her exciting. Akiko is a wonderful skater, but she has seemed so far this season to be having a bit of technical trouble with her programs. Both of her programs seem to be big departures for her, so maybe that is part of the challenge, in addition to her trying to live up to last season's success. Obviously, Akiko could still be in the medals here, or even win should she skate lights out and the top ladies falter in the fp. The fp should be very competitive. The ladies are off to a kickin' start this season.

From what I've seen, I wouldn't mind the top three staying as is, with Gracie moving up to fifth and Akiko in 4th (but I think Akiko is likely to move up to medal position). I hope Caroline skates a clean fp and moves up at least another spot.

 

[R.D.]

One will always be nervous before the performance- it's all about how you HANDLE those nerves. That separates the good skaters from the great ones.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

I wish her well and pray for her no over-hype nor over-pressuring from fans and Canadian fed.[/b]

Ditto. Though since we know that won't happen, lets hope her coach and her team (and herself) understand how to manage the hype and pressure.

 

[Selene]

I missed the competition due to being at work. Judging from the scores, the biggest surprise for me was Kaetlyn Osmond. She seems to have made great progress over the summer and is putting out very good skates. Good for her. The biggest disappointment for me was Gracie Gold. As we saw yesterday, she lands her jumps in practice, but she just can't do it in competition. Her coach needs to stop talking her up as the best jumper in the world if she can't actually land those jumps in competition. She has delivered a series of very poor skates since moving up to the senior level.

 

[emma]

Zhang tends to peak later in the season. She was not spectacular early last season, either. Part of the reason her showing at Nationals was such a surprise to so many.

This is why I'm not too worried yet - but at the same time, you would think that part of growing and upping the ante would be to get better earlier, no?

 

[Jammers]

Later or not is not going to make Caroline skate faster. That is a big problem.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I missed the competition due to being at work. Judging from the scores, the biggest surprise for me was Kaetlyn Osmond. She seems to have made great progress over the summer and is putting out very good skates. Good for her. The biggest disappointment for me was Gracie Gold. As we saw yesterday, she lands her jumps in practice, but she just can't do it in competition. Her coach needs to stop talking her up as the best jumper in the world if she can't actually land those jumps in competition. She has delivered a series of very poor skates since moving up to the senior level.

Gracie needs her jumps because more and more girls are starting to do 3-3s, even the 3Z-3T like Adelina and Angela. Gracie was the best jumper in the world last year but this season it seems to be a different story (so far).

 

[rain]

I thought Osmond more than deserved her spot. Her triple toe/triple toe was high, strong and gorgeous. I was also impressed with the strides she has made artistically just since last year at Canadians. I found her presentation here to be much more mature.
What I really love about watching her is that she looks like she genuinely enjoys performing and competing. This has been something that many of our Canadian ladies have struggled mightily with over the years.

 

[Blades of Passion]

Today, a skater who skate bad will necessary have a bad score, like example : Patrick Chan in Japan Open 2012, and a skater who skated to her potential even if this skater is new to the judge can win a competition, like example : Christina Gao in skate america 2012.

Um, Christina Gao wasn't anywhere close to winning Skate America (although she should have been) and Patrick Chan's bad skate at Japan Open 2012 is the first time he has actually received a bad score for a bad skate, not to mention his PCS for that performance were still probably too high.

I believe that figure skating is going for the first times in the good way. And, this will help to makes the sport more appreciate and more popular.

Did you see the attendance at this event? Try again.

 

[Mrs. P]

To be fair to Gracie, some skaters would have fell off that 3F given how tilted it was. Her mistake was that she tried to power though the 3T instead of just doing a 2T. She would have scored better if she did that.

And while not her best effort, I wouldn't consider it a meltdown either. She's within striking distance of the bronze. Hoping she'll recover in the FS!

 

[Rachmaninoff]

And while not her best effort, I wouldn't consider it a meltdown either. She's within striking distance of the bronze. Hoping she'll recover in the FS!

That's true; a lot of skaters can potentially medal here, considering how close the scores are. I suspect those of us who were skating fans under the old system are using to the actual rankings after the SP being very important (needing to be in the top 3 after the SP to win gold without "help", etc.), but under this system they're really not that important when things are this close.

 

[Snoopy15]

On the protocols, Tuktamysheva got negative GOE on her 3 loop. However, it looked clean to me. Does anyone know why she got those scores?

Yes, I've noticed that on many skaters (Ex. Elene G., Caroline Z.). The chief reason I believe is that there are NO PRECEEDING STEPS going into a SOLO jump. They are required to dock GOE despite the fact that the jump is clean.

 

[Snoopy15]

O.K., I was confused by the question. I noted that her set up time into the 3Lo took a very long time and they weren't preceded by connecting steps as required in the SP. It looks like some judges chose to penalize her on not fulfilling the requirement, which I think is a good thing. In the past, many skaters could get away with it because the rule is not always strictly reinforced. I am glad they dinged her for it to send a clear message to all skaters.

Yes, I'm quite glad as well.
Last week, in the Men's SP at Skate America, many of the contenders (Ex. Kozuka, Abbott, and some others) did not put ANY steps prior to the solo Quad they attempted. Yet, they didn't get -3s across anywhere (save for Abbott, who fell on his Quad).
If men want to start attempting Quads in the SP, I have nothing against it, but if you're going to do it, do it with steps, or a combination. :/